Trump in Historical Context 

The conventional wisdom is that Trump’s approach to foreign policy marks a real departure from that of his predecessors in terms of partisanship, disregard for allies, isolationist/nationalist tendencies and populist predilections. We will examine the populism of Andrew Jackson, the nativism and isolationism of Republican administrations in the 1920s and then in the 1930s during FDR’s Presidency, the bitter partisanship of the latter years of the Truman Presidency over the Korean War, the “loss” of China and the threat of communism inside and outside the U.S. We will compare the challenges that Presidents Nixon, Carter and Obama perceived in managing U.S. influence and military-economic power that they understood to be in relative decline. Finally, we will assess where Trump’s foreign policy is headed. Is it becoming more mainstream in contemporary historic terms or is the first year a precursor to a revolutionary approach? What key factors will shape the foreign policy outlook of the remainder of the Trump Presidency? 

Ken Hillas retired as a Senior Foreign Service Officer in 2013. He served in multiple posts overseas and as a Professor at the National War College. He has served on the Board of the University of Maine’s School of Policy and International Affairs and is currently adjunct professor of global politics and U.S. foreign policy at the University. 

  ▼ Syllabus/Reading